Brutal Western US Winter Has Been Terrible for Animals

BOISE, Idaho (AP) – A heavy snowfall this winter in the Pacific Northwest and other parts of the West has caused travel delays and other problems for people.

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But wildlife are also suffering, from deer and elk whose food sources are buried under snow and ice to cougars that had to forage in an Oregon town.

In eastern Oregon, state wildlife officials are feeding elk, but the weather makes accessing them difficult. When highways and the Interstate are closed because of the snow, the workers must still get to the rural feeding stations where they feed the elk alfalfa hay.

And heavy snow has forced Idaho's fish and game department to begin emergency feeding of big game animals in southern Idaho.